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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25869223">Low-Key Crush</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamin/pseuds/Dreamin'>Dreamin</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Teenagers, F/M, Prompt Fill</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:20:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>975</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25869223</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dreamin/pseuds/Dreamin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Darcy's crush on her best friend turns to something more.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Darcy Lewis/Loki</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>62</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Low-Key Crush</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/gifts">afteriwake</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Inspired by a prompt from afteriwake -- "I'm cool as ice and just as slippery."</p><p>I decided that for this fic, most of the Avengers are in their early twenties while Jane and Darcy are 18. Loki's technically a couple of millennia old but really, he's more like an 18-year-old too.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I’m cool as ice and just as slippery,” Loki said as he grinned at his reflection in the hall mirror. After a moment of consideration, he said it again, this time with a wink and finger guns.</p><p>Darcy snickered from her seat on Loki’s black leather couch then stuffed another handful of popcorn in her mouth. She was nominally watching a movie but really, she was watching her best friend make an ass of himself. <em>I guess it’s better that he does it here than at the party. </em>With his back turned to her, she couldn’t help admiring the way his tight black jeans showed off his butt and thighs.<em> Loki took to Earth fashion like a duck to water.</em> She knew Jane would tease her about her low-key crush if she were there. <em>She thinks I should act on it but even I know that would be a bad idea – the guy is the original heartbreaker. Nope, we’re better off just being besties.</em></p><p>It was the summer after she and Jane graduated from high school and Darcy was still figuring out what she wanted to do with her life. After proving the existence of an Einstein-Rosen bridge two summers ago when Thor and Loki had first dropped into their lives, Jane had received full scholarship offers from every major university in the country. Darcy had received acceptance letters from every school she had applied to, but only Harvard offered a full scholarship.</p><p><em>But how can I pick a school when I have no idea what I want to major in?</em> With Loki’s “practicing” over, she turned back to the movie just as he flopped down next to her and grabbed the popcorn bowl from her lap.</p><p>“Hey,” she protested mildly.</p><p>“Can’t eat it all yourself, mortal,” he said, smirking, as he turned to the sci-fi epic. “What number is this one?”</p><p>“Who knows?” she muttered as she tried to take the bowl back and he lightly slapped her hand away. “They’re not numbered properly anyway.” She grinned at him. “‘Cool as ice and just as slippery,’ huh?”</p><p>Loki shrugged, his cheeks turning faintly blue as he blushed. “It makes a better first impression than ‘Frost Giant and God of Mischief.’”</p><p>“That’s debatable,” she smirked. “The one thing you don’t wanna do is sound like you’re trying too hard. Winking and finger guns? Definitely trying too hard.”</p><p>“And how would you know?” Loki asked, arms crossed and pouting.</p><p>Darcy grinned. “What works with mortal girls? Gee, I think that’s because hello, I am one?”</p><p>“You’re not a girl,” he muttered. “You’re Darcy.”</p><p><em>And there’s the other reason why I don’t act on my crush.</em> She rolled her eyes and turned back to the TV.</p>
<hr/><p>“Political science,” Jane suggested. They were in the Penthouse of Avengers Tower, watching the party below from the balcony. “You’re the only person I know who watches C-SPAN for fun.”</p><p>“What can I say, AOC is my hero.” Darcy sipped her sparkling cider. Jane had been suggesting majors for the past fifteen minutes and Darcy wished they’d talk about something else. <em>Anything else.</em></p><p>“If you go into that, Harvard is the best school for it. It’s also the best school for astronomy, so I’ll go there if you do, then we can stay together.” Jane smiled weakly. “I just don’t want to lose my best friend.”</p><p>“Aww…” Darcy hugged her lightly. “You won’t. Even if we end up on opposite sides of the country, we’ll still keep in touch. That’s what the internet’s for, right?”</p><p>“Funny,” Loki said as he approached them, smirking, “I thought the internet was for-”</p><p>Darcy slapped a hand over his mouth. “Don’t say it.” She nodded towards the fourteen-year-old Maximoff twins, who were desperately trying to beat each other at Mario Kart at the video game corner nearby.</p><p>She was about to pull her hand back when she felt Loki kiss it. Her eyes shot up to his and he winked at her. Just as she pulled her hand away, he grabbed it.</p><p>“How about a dance?” he asked, smirking.</p><p>“Go on, Darcy,” Jane said, grinning.</p><p><em>Did these two plan this?</em> Darcy thought as she pulled her hand back then looked from Jane to Loki, both of them wearing innocent expressions, though only Jane’s looked genuine.</p><p>“Just one dance,” Loki said, then he bowed and offered his hand like he was Prince Charming at a ball instead of a millennia-old teenage god at a billionaire’s mid-summer party. “Please?”</p><p>Darcy grinned. “Loki, Mr. Too Good For Mortals himself, saying ‘please?’ Can’t pass that up.” She took his hand. “But just one dance.”</p><p>His delighted grin had her wondering just what she was getting herself into.</p><p>Three upbeat songs later, she thought the answer was “just a good time,” but then a slow song started. Darcy was about to head back over to Jane when Loki grabbed her hand again.</p><p>“Please, Darcy,” he murmured.</p><p>She looked at him. “This is a love song, Loki. You know, the kind people slow dance to?”</p><p>He chuckled quietly. “My brother, as dull as he is, is still wise about some things – he noticed that not only are you my ‘type,’ I always talk about you when you’re not around.”</p><p>“Oh yeah?” she asked, grinning despite herself, and she allowed him to pull her into his arms as they started to sway to the music.</p><p>Loki smirked, his eyes dancing. “And according to Jane, you are the same way about me.”</p><p>“Oh, Jane’s gonna get a stern talking-to about secrets when I get back over there,” she muttered, blushing.</p><p>He leaned to murmur in her ear, “You assume I’m going to let you go after this dance. Foolish mortal.”</p><p>Darcy shivered pleasantly. “Okay, I’ll tell her after the next dance.”</p><p>His delighted grin was all the opening she needed to kiss him.</p>
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